A Boy and His Bird
by Peeves' Pal
Summary: It's not the boy or the bird you may think it is. Ever wonder how Albus Dumbledore got Fawkes? How long have they been together anyway? This story is an attempt to explain it all, or at least some. Please read and review.


Disclaimer:

Cornelius Fudge, in a hurry as usual, and dressed in his finest pinstripped robes rushed over to the muggle on the computer and cleared his throat to get it's attention.

"Oh, hello Minister!" the muggle bowed her head in a show of respect.

"Never mind that. I don't have much time. I hear you have been trying to write unauthorized fanny fiction," the Minister divulged, as he removed his bowler hat.

"I think you mean fan fiction a fanny is a…"

"I don't really care. I'm here to tell you that WE in the wizarding community do not belong to you and therefore you can not collect even a single knut for this literary experiment," he imparted his wisdom to the lowely non-magical creature. "The only muggle that we do consider to be of any value would be that very intellegent and witty J.K. Rowlings lady."

"I know that. I just felt like finally putting my fantasies out there for the rest of my kind to enjoy. You see this is going out the World Wide Web so that others can read it on their monitors and…"

"Rubish. It's all just muggle ho-hum. Tell it to someone who cares, like Arthur Weasley. By the way if you are planning to use me in that little story make sure I am seen in the right light. I am _the_ Minister of Magic afterall. Dumbledore, on the other hand, is _just_ a school headmaster and a flaky one at that."

"I'll see to it Sir," the writer promised as she went back to her keystrokes.

(Fudge is right, I own nothing, except the computer and it's an old one at that. Besides I don't think my bank would let me deposit knuts, sickles, or galleons anyway…)

And now to the story…

"Ta-da!" the small blonde boy exclaimed as he stuck his head and arm out of the shrub. He was kneeling on the ground and seemed to be very impressed with himself as he held out a small garden snake that was desperately trying to wriggle free from the child's grasp.

"Ewwwwhhh," a girl the same age as the boy but smaller in statue wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue. "That's gross," but in the same breath said, "let me hold it!"

"No, you'll hurt him. I'm going to give it to the new baby when it's born," the boy told his cousin.

"Alberforff," the child still had a bit of a lisp, "babies don't like snakes."

"Well, this baby will," Alberforth announced proudly.

"I don't think Auntie Gwen will like that idea," the little girl shook her head and made her blonde pigtails whip back and forth.

"Sure she will, my Mum likes animals and since she's been preggers she hasn't been able to come out and play much with them. So I'll just bring it in when the baby is born."

"I hope they don't punish you," the little girl plopped down in and Indian-style position and started to examine the grass around her. "Oh looky, it's a fobberwom!"

"They are dumb, they don't do anything!" Alberforth huffed.

"It's not as dumb as your ole snake," she huffed back at her cousin.

"I think I'm going to name this snake Tavya," Alberforth said matter-of-factly and started to imitate the snake's tongue movement.

The little girl scrunched up her face again. "No! You can't have my name for a snake.

I'm a pretty little witch and that's a ugly ole snake," she noted.

"Who says your pretty?" Alberforth teased.

"My mummy and daddy do," Tavya told him.

"Well, then they lie," Alberforth giggled.

"Well, then you must be ugly too because everyone says we look the same," she out-logiced him.

Alberforth thought on this for a few moments and then spoke, "I guess you are pretty."

"Thank you," Tavya smiled and flashed those amazing dimples that exactly matched those on her cousin's face.

"Tavy?"

"Ya?"

"When do you think my baby will get here?" Alberforth asked sincerely.

Tavya shrugged her shoulders, "my mummy said the baby should be here today. Then they will call us in and we can have a look at him. Daddy says that I will even be able to give him a kiss."

"But me first, cause I'm the big brother!" Alberforth demanded.

"Fine," Tavya shrugged and put the flobberworm back in the grass. "I need something better for the baby. A good present, not a dumb old worm."

"Yeah, this snake is kinda dumb too," Alberforth agreed and set the animal free, it immediately slithered away.

"What are we going to get him?" Tavya asked.

"I don't know, maybe a pretty rock?" Alberforth suggested.

"No, babies have no use for rocks," Tavya said.

"Then some honeybees. I love honey and so will the…"

Tavya quickly interrupted, "mummy says that you should never give a baby honey until they are at least 2 years old!"

"Oh," Alberforth looked dejected.

"It's got to be something he can keep forever so that even when he's old and gray he will remember us," Tavya philosophized.

"My baby is not going to be old and gray," Alberforth said clearly.

"Not now you Troll head, but someday," Tavya sighed at her cousin's stupidity.

"Old like Grandfather?" Alberforth asked.

"Yup, someday," Tavya answered. "He may even have Grandfather's scratchy old beard." She giggled at the thought.

"And will we still be here?"

"I don't know," Tavya answered. "I hope so."

Alberforth stood up and wiped the dirt from the knees of his brilliant blue robes, which he wasn't suppose to get dirty. "We can go to the glen and look for something."

Tavya also stood up but surprisingly she didn't have a speck of dirt on her soft pink shorty robes. "Okay!"

Alberforth took his cousin by the hand. They had been trained to do this since they were both toddlers. Skipping the two children made their way over to the glen to look for a 'proper' baby present.

"Well, if it isn't the Dumbledore twins," a older girl, about 12 with fuzzy, long jet black hair and red robes flew above the children upon her broom.

"We aren't twins," Alberforth groaned.

"Yeah, well ya look like 'em," the girl flew lazy circles around the pair.

"What are you doin' on a broom Maylex Potter? You aren't suppose to do magic outside school," Tavya inquired, taking her hand away from her cousin and crossing both her arms across her chest.

Maylex cackled, as only she could, "I pretty much can do anything I wish, I am the Assistant Headmaster's daughter after all. What is he going to do…suspend me?"

"Maybe," Alberforth shrugged.

"Unlikely," Maylex said, "besides, he'll never know."

Alberforth sighed and Tavya scanned the glen. She wanted to find something…something special for her new cousin.

"Do you two want to play Quidditch? I could use a good pair of bludgers," Maylex said.

"You know we can't fly or use brooms yet," Alberforth reminded her.

"Who says you'll be playing on the team? I was just going to use you for the actual bludgers, you know beat you around a bit. It'd be a gas," Maylex laughed and tried to do a loop-de-loop in the air but lost control of her broom and fell right to the ground with a thud.

Alberforth laughed right away, and Tavya had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing.

"Ouch, that hurt!" Maylex complained.

"Your broom's getting away!" Alberforth pointed up to the sky at the Thestralwing Model B that was now just a speck in the sky.

"Oh buggers!" Maylex growled. "That's the 3rd one this week. Father is going to throttle me," she said and then turned to the children and then grinned, "but only after he buys me a new one."

"If I were your parents I wouldn't buy you another," Tavya said to the older Potter girl.

"Well, that's just because you don't know what it is like to be rich like me," Maylex bragged.

"Our home is twice the size of yours," Alberforth pointed out. "And we have plenty of money."

"True, but your still not as rich as us," Maylex said. "We have loads more galleons then you do."

This was somewhat true. The Dumbledore's had money, old money and were quite comfortable but the Potter's were simply rolling in it. Maylex's grandmother had written a fantasy book about muggle children that seemed to take the wizarding world by storm. Many bookstores couldn't keep them from flying off the shelves, even after 20-some years the volumes were still among the most popular books in print. Not to mention the merchandise.

"You have a very big head Potter," Tavya groaned.

Maylex chose to ignore that statement. "So what are you two doing out here anyway?"

"We need to find a present for the new baby," Tavya told her.

"Out here?" Maylex looked around. "What do you expect to find?"

"We don't know yet that's why we are looking," Alberforth scanned the glen but didn't see anything. "Oh look, there's Danus," he pointed to a head popping over a small hill.

Maylex turned to look at the little boy running towards them and moaned. "I thought I told him to stay inside."

"Hello Danus," Tavya waved to the little boy and the boy waved back.

"Who is there?" the child asked, but still smiled as he ran towards them.

"Well, if you put on your glasses maybe you'll be able to see who it is," Maylex yelled at him.

"I can see just fine without my glasses," he stated, but unfortunately ran right into a tree and knocked himself out. Maylex, Alberforth and Tavya ran to where the child laid.

"Oh poor Danus," Tavya knelt down besides the bruised child only two years older then herself

"He'll be just fine, he does this everyday. If only he would wear his glasses," Maylex

complained and bent over to lift her little brother up off the grass.

"Ouch, that's gonna leave a nasty bruise," the child, this one with neat hair chocolate brown hair unlike his sister and tiny squinting eyes, rubbed his forehead.

"Your right. Look it looks like a bird," Alberforth giggled and pointed to the other boy's black and blue mark.

"Really?" Danus grinned. "I hope it stays for a while. I like scars."

"Well, you certainly have enough of them," Maylex stated and reached into her brother's robe pocket to take out a pair of golden wire-rimmed spectacles. "Put them on!" She demanded her sibling.

"Fine," Danus huffed and did what his elder sister told him.

"Are you alright Potter?" Tavya asked wizard boy.

"Yup, good as gold," Danus said as he got to his feet. "So what are you two doing over here?"

"Looking for a present, for the new baby," Alberforth answered his friend.

"Can I help?" Danus asked.

"Sure," Tavya answered.

"Great, this should be a real winner of a present," Maylex snickered.

"Oh shut up Maylex. I swear, I don't know why you weren't put into the Slytherin house," Danus said to his sister.

"I'm a Gryffindor and proud of it," Maylex stated, puffing out her chest and pointing at the trio. "And don't you forget that."

"I think I saw something shiny in that tree before a blacked out," Danus pointed up to the branches overhead. "Maybe it could be something you could bring to the baby."

"Up there?" Tavya looked up, as did Alberforth.

"Yeah, I could've sworn I saw something glittery," Danus stated. "See, there it is again, a sort of flash of light."

"Yeah, I see it," Alberforth said. "It looks like it's coming from that nest."

"But how are we going to get up there?" Tavya asked.

"Well, my sister has her broom and she can…"

"Forget it," Maylex shook her head.

"Not again!" Danus looked shocked. "Dad's gonna throtle you!"

"Never you mind," Maylex warned him.

"We could climb up," Alberforth suggested.

"Muggles do it all the time," Maylex, who was a self-appointed muggle expert said. "They just sort of grab onto branches and pull themselves up."

"We can do that," Danus said bravely.

"It looks hard," Tavya whined.

"But it is probably something really good," Alberforth said excitedly.

"And since you are the littlest. I think we should give you a boost up to that branch and you can sort of bend it down to us so we can grab it," Danus said as he reached for the littlest Dumbledore and lifted her above his head.

Tavya squealed for a few seconds but then instinctively grabbed for the lowest branch. "I got it!"

"Good, now go towards the end so your weight will bend the branch," Danus ordered the little witch.

"It's scary up here," Tavya moaned but did exactly as Potter told her. " I wish we could do magic."

"I'll jump up and grab the end and swing up," Danus explained. "As soon as I do go back towards the trunk."

Tavya did exactly as she was told and Danus seemed to be a natural at climbing the tree.

"Now what?" Tavya asked as Danus climbed over towards her.

"Now we go and see what is in that nest," Danus told her. "Start climbing!"

"Hey, what about me?" Alberforth whined.

"You and Maylex will catch it, or us if we fall," Danus said.

"We aren't going to fall are we?" Tavya looked nervous.

"Hopefully not," Danus grinned and pushed the little girl up to the next branch and the next until they reached the nest.

"Oh! Merlin's beard!" Danus took a deep breath and then whistled as he looked into the nest.

"What is it?" Alberforth needed to know.

"It's a shiny egg, and it's turning all sorts of colures," Tavya told her cousin on the ground. "It's so pretty."

"It's…it's…it's a phoenix egg," Danus was shocked.

"Are you serious?" Maylex asked.

"I know what a phoenix egg looks like Maylex, I've seen dozens of pictures of them in books," Daunus told his sister.

"Well, grab it and toss it down here," Maylex told him.

"But it'll break," Tavya said nervously.

"You can't break a phoenix egg, it's impossible. Only the bird inside can break out,"

Danus told Tavya.

"Toss it down, I'll catch it in my hat," Maylex held out her pointed Hogwarts hat like a net.

"Go ahead Dumbledore, you reach in for it. It is for your cousin, you should have the honor," Danus told the little witch and she did.

"It's so warm," Tavya picked up the egg and couldn't help but give a giggle.

"Come on, throw it down. I want to see it," Alberforth said impatiently.

Tavya held the egg out and opened her fingers to let it fall. It was amazing how the object managed to avoid hitting every branch on it's way down. It seemed to be navigating its way through the tree and fell right into Potter's hat.

"It is now officially a Gryffindor," Maylex said as she scooped the egg up and held it up to show Alberforth.

"It's so pretty," Alberforth cooed.

"It's a good present for a baby," Potter told the Dumbledore as she placed it into his awaiting hands. "They live for hundreds of years and their tears have healing powers."

"Really?" Alberforth cuddled the egg and even held it against his cheek to feel its warmth.

"Yeah, your brother will love it," Maylex smiled and patted the younger child on his blonde head.

"Weeeee!" Tavya was coming down the tree much quicker then she was going up it,

swinging on every branch until she finally dropped to the ground. Danus was close behind. "I like climbing trees!" She announced.

"Look, isn't it great?" Alberforth held out the egg to his cousin.

"Surely the best present the baby will get," Tavya said proudly.

"Alberforth! Tavya! Alberforth! Tavya!" the sound of Tavya's dad called out for them. He must have been using a sonurus charm because he sounded as clear as a bell. "It's almost time! The baby will be here soon!"

"We better go," Tavya said excitedly.

"Yeah, thanks Potters!" Alberforth said to the witch and wizard siblings.

"No problem, just tell the baby we said 'welcome to the world'," Danus told the younger children.

"Yeah, enjoy the little pain, because they grow up to be bigger ones," Maylex poked her little brother in the arm with her wand teasingly.

The little Dumbledore's held hands again as they ran back to the house to await the birth of the baby. As soon as they stepped onto the second floor where Gwen Dumbledore was in her room, they heard the distinctive screams of a newborn baby.

"That's my brother," Alberforth cheered and ran towards the room with his cousin at his heals. He gave her the egg to carry.

"Come here children," Gwen Dumbledore motioned over to them as she held a swaddling bundle to her bosom. They ran over to the bed where sister-in-law Tanya Dumbledore lifted them both up onto the mattress, which was magically cleaned only seconds before.

"Is that him?" Alberforth asked as he peered his head over the bundle to look down at the face of the new baby.

"Yeah, this is your brother and your new cousin," Gwen told each of the children.

"Oh, he's so cute," Tavya cooed as she climbed up closer to get a glimpse.

"He sure is," Tanya Dumbledore said as she poured a cold glass of pumpkin juice for her sister-in-law.

"We have present for him," Alberforth said.

"A present?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah, it's really special. So he can have it forever," Tavya said and she handed the egg to Alberforth to show his Mum.

"It's a phoenix egg, see!" Alberforth held it out proudly.

Both Tanya and Gwen were shocked as they looked at the item and then looked to each other.

"By golly, it is," Gwen said. "But how?"

"We climbed a tree to get it, the Potter's helped us," Tavya explained.

"Here this is for you…umm…umm. What's his name Mummy?" Alberforth asked, putting the egg right on the baby's swaddled chest. The baby seemed to look right at the object.

"His name is Albus," Gwen told them. "And this is a very special present."

"It sure is," Tanya agreed.

"Albus is a special baby," Tavya said.

Just then two men both platinum blondes came into the room carrying a solid oak crib with gold leaf markings depicting several important events in wizarding history. A stringless mobile of the solar system levitated above it.

"For Albus!" The taller one announced. "We made it ourselves."

"Oh, Mercury, my Luv, it's enchanting," Gwen cried.

"It has every safety spell known to wizard-kind on it too. There is no safer crib in the world," the wizard named Mercury announced. "Nothing is too good for my son."

"What does he have?" the other wizard with the short blonde beard asked.

"It seems he has been presented already with a phoenix egg," Tanya said. "The children just brought it in."

"Well, Merlin's foot. That's one incredible gift!" Mercury reached over to take the egg but the baby wizard immediately started to wail loudly and the candles in the room flickered out and on.

"Better not take it away, that's one powerful kid," the other wizard said. "Never seen infants do that before." The baby stopped crying immediately.

"Your right Jupiter, I'm going to have to watch myself around this tyke," Mercury laughed.

"Looky Mummy and Daddy. The egg is moving," Albus pointed to the egg on his brother's chest, which was now rocking back and forth and even hopping a bit.

"By golly, the darn thing is going to hatch right here," Jupiter Dumbledore exclaimed.

"There will be two birth's today," Gwen laughed. "But I won't have to do much with this one."

They all moved in closer to watch the egg and before long, shell bits were popping off and an ugly bald head made its way out of a hole in the egg. The bird opened it's mouth and the most beautiful sound any of them had ever heard came out. It seemed to put everyone in some sort of trance, that is of course except for Albus who managed to get his tiny fingers out of his blanket and reached out for the chick.

"It's…it's…completely amazing," Mercury Dumbledore said as he watched the bird and the baby.

"I think they will be together for a mighty long time," Gwen Dumbledore smiled and kissed her new baby boy on his fine white blonde head.

Over a hundred years later…

"I knew you were coming," the bartender didn't even bother to look up at patron who just entered his pub. "Fawkes has been here for over 5 minutes. What took you so long?"

"I had to escape the clutches of Dolores Umbridge. I suppose you know that I have been fired as Headmaster," Albus sat down at the bar and the phoenix hopped over to his master immeadiately. The bird put it's head down and awaited a pat and a rub from Albus.

"I know. Good thing you got away, they would've sent you right off to Azkaban," Alberforth told his little brother.

"They'd never catch me," Albus noted.

"True. The only one who ever could catch you was cousin Tavya," Alberforth said placing two glasses of fire whiskey on the bar.

"Good thing she was always on our side then," Albus reached for his glass.

"She was a good woman," Alberforth sighed, "it's been hard without her."

Albus knew that his brother never really got over the death of their cousin. Even though it has been over 20 years. But she had not gone down without a fight, she held back the Death Eaters as they stormed into her convent throwing curses around and ransacking the priceless objects in search of the Arc of the Covenant, which they had never found. She had only been the Mother Superior for 3 years before she died, but she managed to give her life for the good of muggles and magical alike.

If the Death Eaters had managed to get hold of the Arc the consequences would've been tragic. For they would've given it right to Voldemort and that would've been devastating.

"To our cousin," Albus held up his glass to toast his relative.

"To the nutty old hag," Alberforth joked as he often did with his cousin.

Fawkes let out a soothing cry and the men drank to her honor.

"Now, to get that school back from that Umbridge woman," Alberforth said. "What are we going to do?"

"Have faith my brother, faith can move mountains and hopefully it can also rid the school of a very evil witch." Albus rubbed his birds' head and the animal cooed softly putting both brothers at ease instantly.

The End


End file.
